Khan in demand as Pacquiao and Mayweather eye potential mega-fight

The most wanted man in Sin City at the moment is not Manny Pacquiao, the best boxer on the planet, nor the Mexican warrior Juan Manuel Marquez who he fights for the third time here on Saturday.

Quietly, behind the razzle dazzle of this cleverly entitled rubber match, The Thrillogy, our very own Amir Khan is being courted by both claimants to the mythical title of greatest pound-for-pound fighter in the world.

The problem for both the PacMan and the Money Man, Floyd Mayweather Jnr, is that they have virtually run out of credible opponents. Come in Master Khan.

In demand: Amir Khan could be set for a mega-fight in Las Vegas next year

The first serious indication that Pacquiao might be willing to fight his English friend and sparring partner for real was given on Friday by his Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum.

Mayweather has already given his approval in principle to a match with Bolton’s world light-welterweight champion.

Clearly, it is the prospect of a mega-fight with Mayweather which has tempted Sky to come to a reconciliation with Khan.

The rift forced by Sky’s refusal to put Khan’s fight with Paul McCloskey on pay-per-view – which opened the door temporarily to the fringe Primetime cable company - has been healed with a new three-fight deal, starting with his title defence against Lamont Peterson in Washington on December 10.

Of course Khan-Mayweather would be a pay-TV bonanza in Britain. But so would Khan-Pacquaio, perhaps even more so.

Next up: Manny Pacquiao fights Juan Manuel Marquez on Saturday

Shrewdly, Arum has added Khan to a list of potential opponents for PacMan which, the reluctant Mayweather apart, is not otherwise packed with star quality. Tim Bradley, who defends his WBO segment of the light-welterweight crown against former champion Joel Casamayor on Saturday’s undercard, is probably next up. But then who?

Khan and Pacquiao have always maintained they will not fight each other but Arum says: ‘I can see a good chance of it happening. They are both trained by Freddie Roach, they do spar with each other and they get along fine. But I don’ t see them as really close friends. They don’t hang out together after training. They both know this would be a big fight and I certainly don’t think Manny would have a problem with it.’

Khan, here as a ringside commentator for Primetime, will be harder to convince, since Roach the master trainer has made it clear he would choose to be in Pacquiao’s corner. Nor would it be easy for Arum to come to terms with his fierce rivals at Golden Boy, Khan’s promoters.

Britain’s former Olympic silver medallist says: ‘Manny’s not really been on my radar as an opponent. Not only is he my friend but I have a wider range of fights to choose from….and when it does come to the mega-pay-night both Freddie and I truly believe I can beat Mayweather.’

Hint: Bob Arum suggested Amir Khan could fight Pacquiao

Sky hope that blockbuster will be the third fight of the new contract. .

Khan had hoped to unify the world ten-stone title by fighting Bradley before moving up to welterweight but the American’s failure to agree terms has left them fighting Peterson and Casamayor respectively .

Beyond that, with Bradley now on Pacquiao’s hit list, Khan is looking for a first fight at 147 lbs next spring, followed by at least one and perhaps two world title fights at that weight before the end of 2012.

If one of those is against Mayweather, and he wins, the clamour for Khan and Pacquiao to set friendship aside for one night – before PacMan the Philippines Congressman retires into full-time politics - would become deafeningly difficult to resist.

First, of course, the principal players in this drama must keep winning.

Marquez’s counter-punching style gave Pacquiao trouble in the first two thrillers of this trilogy, a draw in 2004 and then a split decision in PacMan’s favour three years ago.

Mega fight: Floyd Mayweather is another possible opponent for Khan

Since then Pacquiao has gone up in weight to win his historic eighth championship in different divisions. He has also developed his south-paw right hand into as concussive a weapon as his deadly left. Roach has also improved his star man’s lateral movement and developed a more intelligent approach to his boxing.

Marquez, who was heavily outpointed by Mayweather in his first sortie up to welterweight, has since piled on so much extra muscle, at the age of 38, that eyebrows have been raised. His dietician, Angel Hernandez, is a protégée of Victor Conte, former boss of the infamous Balco company caught supplying performance enhancing drugs to US Olympic athletes.

Marquez says: ‘I have done a clean preparation for this fight, as I have done for 18 years. I have just trained differently this time, lifting weights to build my body.

Head to head: Pacquiao (left) and Marquez meet for the third time

Pacquiao, who is suing Mayweather for insinuating that he has used drugs, seems unconcerned and still totally confident that he will silence once and for all Marquez’s protestations that he was robbed by the judges in their previous fights.

Like most of us here, Pacquiao expects this sudden weight gain to slow Marquez down and leave him more vulnerable to a knock out.

Khan is one of many saying: ‘Manny is a different, greater fighter now than when these two fought before. I expect him to stop Marquez by the fifth round.’

I also expect a KO by PacMan to end all the arguments, to disappoint the large Mexican contingent in the MGM Grand Garden and to deliver on his promise of an exciting night for the millions watching on large and small screens around the world, especially back in the Philippines.

Pacquiao v Marquez is live on Primetime late on Saturday, via Sky Channel 480, at £14.95. Call 08712004444.